Suction spouts



Feb. 26, 1957 s. c. ROONEY ETAL SUCTION SPOUTS Filed June 13.

INVENTORS SIDNEY c; Roomsy LU/TZEN FEEN$TRA United States Patent SUCTION SPOUTS Sidney C. Rooney and Luitzen Feenstra, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, assignors to Pneumatic Conveyors Ltd., Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Application June 13, 1955, Serial No. 515,156

2 Claims. (Cl. 302-58) Our invention relates to improvements in suction spouts.

This invention relates to suction spouts whlch are particularly intended for use in pneumatic conveyor systems designed to convey cornminuted material, such as pulp chips, sawdust, hog fuel, grains, vegetable fibres and the like.

The objects of the present invention are to provide a spout which may be moved in any desired downward direction into the material mass and thereafter moved horizontally or otherwise to pick up the loose remainder of the material; to provide means for ensuring an adequate air supply to the inlet opening of the spout, and to provide means for breaking up any compacted portions of the material and drawing the chips into the centre of the nozzle where they may be more readily entrained in the air stream.

Referring to the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a fractionated elevational view of the invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the nozzle.

Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each figure.

The numeral 1 indicates generally a suction spout consisting of a vertical pipe 2, which is connected at its upper end to a flexible hose 3. The hose is adapted for connection to a suitable suction, delivery and separator system, not shown, and suitable means, also not shown, are provided for raising and lowering said pipe and for moving it horizontally from one position to another.

Secured to the lower end of the pipe 2 by complementary connected flanges 5 is an operating head or nozzle generally indicated by the numeral and consisting of a tubular member 12 which is fitted at its lower edge with an outer annular flange 14. A band 15 is secured to the flange 14 by means of bolts 16. The flange and band carry a ring gear 18 which is rotatable upon ball bearings 19.

An electric motor 20 is supported upon the pipe 2 adjacent the upper end thereof and said motor has a reduction gear 21 and a vertically disposed drive shaft 22. Journalled in bearings 25 secured to the pipe'2 is a shaft 26 which is aligned with the drive shaft and is connected thereto by means of a friction clutch 27. The lower end of the shaft 26 is fitted with a pinion 29 which engages the ring gear 18 to rotate it at a suitable rate of speed dependent on the material to be handled. An annular member 30 is secured to the lower face of the ring gear by bolts 31 and depending from the underside of said member are a plurality of circumferentially spaced vanes 32. The vanes are tapered towards their upper edges and are disposed at a tangent to the member 30 so that rotation of said member causes the vanes to draw comminuted material in towards the vertical axis of the pipe 2.

Secured to the inner periphery of the tubular member 12 are one or more suitably spaced legs 34 which project beyond the plane of the lower edges of the vanes 32. The leg or legs are adapted to support the device an appropriate distance above the surface supporting the comminuted material and provide operating clearance for the vanes. A suitably shaped hood 35 is fitted to the lower end of the tubular member 12, so as to partly enclose the ring gear 18 and its driving pinion from above to prevent material from entering between the teeth as it cascades towards the mouth of the nozzle.

Should it be found desirable to avoid the use of the lower part of the shaft 26, the lower part of the pipe 2 could be made rotatable upon the upper part of said pipe and said lower part of the pipe be rotated as a unit with the vanes 32 by the motor through the conventional pinion and gear drive.

Assuming that a barge loaded with pulp chips is to be unloaded by the pneumatic conveyor, suction is set up in the hose 3, the motor 20 is energized to rotate the vanes and the nozzle is lowered into contact with the mass which is entrained in the air stream. Continued downward movement of the nozzle forms a substantially cylindrical depression in the mass and any material which cascades down into said depression will pass into the path of the vanes. The vanes agitate the chips and ensure that the intake of air is sufiicient for proper operation of the device and in addition compacted lumps of the material are broken up by said vanes to a size which can be carried in the air stream. When the leg or legs 34 finally contact the deck of the barge and the volume of chips being drawn into the nozzle decreases through lack of material, said nozzle is moved sidewise into the pile so that the vanes can keep the nozzle supplied and the remainder of the load is picked up in this manner.

' The efficiency of the nozzle is largely due to the vanes being set at such an angle as to cause the material to move towards the centre of thenozzle. This disturbance of the material also permits air to flow through the agitated mass and below said mass, so that the air throws the chips upwardly into suspension in the air stream and loosens compacted material which may not flow freely and cannot be moved efliectively by the air stream alone.

What we claim as our invention is:

1. A suction spout comprising a pipe adapted for connection to a source of suction, said pipe having a nozzle at its lower end, an annular member rotatably mounted adjacent the lower end of said nozzle, said annular member having vanes on its underside, said vanes being directed relative to the annular member to draw material engaged by said vanes towards the centre of the nozzle, means carried by the pipe for rotating the annular member, and means carried by the nozzle and disposed within the vanes for supporting said vanes in slightly raised position.

2. A suction spout comprising a pipe adapted for connection to a source of suction, said pipe having a nozzle at its lower end, an annular member rotatably mounted adjacent the lower end of the said nozzle, said annular member having vanes on its underside, said vanes being directed relative to the annular member to draw material engaged by said vanes towards the centre of the nozzle, said nozzle having legs projecting beyond the lower edges of said vanes and disposed within the perimeter of the vane travel, and means carried adjacent the upper end of the pipe for rotating the annular member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

